Our invention concerns a process for qualitatively and quantitatively substantially continuously analyzing the aroma emitted and rates of emission of the aroma components thereof from a portion of the surface of a living fruit and from a living flower simultaneously at a given point in time over a given time period using a single enclosure to contain the living flower proximate and juxtaposed with the portion of the surface of the living fruit, and having aroma trapping means attached to the single enclosure; and apparatus for carrying out such a process. Our invention also concerns a process for preparing one or more perfume compositions comprising the steps of carrying out the aforementioned analysis or analyses and then, using the results of such analysis or analyses providing and admixing at least the major components found in the analysis, apparatus for carrying out such process, perfume compositions prepared using such apparatus and process, and perfumed articles and colognes containing such perfume compositions.
Uses of aromas evolved from living flowers and living fruits which are part of living plants or which are parts of living trees are highly sought after in the perfumery and flavor arts. Great difficulty has been experienced in attempting to capture and reproduce actual aroma ingredients of such living flowers or living fruits at various points in time relative to the maturation of the plant or tree on which the living flower or living fruit is growing.
In addition, a need has arisen for observation of the growth of living flowers and living fruits and a need for measuring such growth, standardizing the measurements of such growth at various times of plant or tree maturation and observing such growth; in an effort to optimize the marketing of perfume compositions based on living flower and living fruit components in conjunction with one another.
Mookherjee, et al, J.Ess.Oil Res., Volume 2, pages 85-90, (March/April 1989) [Title: "Live vs. Dead. Part II, A Comparative Analysis of the Headspace Volatiles of Some Important Fragrance and Flavor Raw Materials"] sets forth an examination of the headspace volatiles of living and picked tea rose, narcissus, osmanthus and spearmint comparatively using TENAX.RTM. as the trapping adsorbent and GC/MS analysis ("Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectral Analysis") as the method of analysis. Mookherjee, et al discloses that it was found that the living rose possessed cis-3-hexenyl acetate (20.67%) as the major volatile component, whereas the major volatile component of the picked rose was 3,5-dimethoxy toluene. Mookherjee, et al further states that living narcissus flowers were found to contain benzyl acetate (44.0%), 3,4- and 3,5-dimethoxy toluene (35.0%) and indole (5.0%) whereas picked flowers contain benzyl acetate (30.43%), 3,4- and 3,5-dimethoxy toluene (18-39.5%) and indole (0.3-1.0%). Mookherjee, et al further states that osmanthus flowers (living) were found to possess beta-damascenone, dihydro-beta-ionol, and 4-keto-beta-ionone whereas these compounds were not detected in either air or nitrogen-purged picked flowers. Mookherjee further states that harvested spearmint possessed carvone (70.0%) and limonene (2.0%) in its headspace while the headspace of living spearmint was found to contain carvone (24.0%) and limonene (18.0%). Thus, Mookherjee, et al demonstrated that dramatic chemical changes take place in a plant or flower once it is harvested.
Trenkle, et al (U.S. Pat. No. 5,269,169 issued on Dec. 14, 1993) discloses a process for qualitatively and quantitatively substantially continuously analyzing the aroma emitted and rates of emission of the components thereof:
(i) from within; and PA1 (ii) from the outer surface PA1 (i) from within; and PA1 (ii) from a portion of the outer surface of PA1 (i) a hemisphere, the planar opening of which is sealably enclosed by the living fruit surface portion; PA1 (ii) a bifurcated hemisphere, the planar opening of which is sealably enclosed by the living fruit surface portion; PA1 (iii) a right circular cylinder, with one open base enclosed by the living fruit surface portion; PA1 (iv) a right circular cone, with its base open and sealably enclosed by the living fruit surface portion; PA1 (v) a paraboloid, with its base open and sealably enclosed by the living fruit surface portion; PA1 (vi) a frustum of a right circular cone with its major base open and sealably enclosed by the living fruit surface portion; and PA1 (vii) a tetrahedron with its base open and sealably enclosed by the living fruit surface portion. PA1 (i) from within; and PA1 (ii) from the outer surface of PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 3,400,100 issued on Sep. 3, 1968 ("Process For The Preparation Of Polyphenylene Ethers") PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 3,644,227 issued on Feb. 22, 1972 ("Separation Of Poly(2,6-Dimethyl-1,4-Phenyleneoxide) from its blends with other polymers") PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 3,703,564 issued on Nov. 21, 1972 ("Bis[Polyphenyleneoxide]-Ester Block Copolymers") PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 4,431,779 issued on Feb. 14, 1984 ("Polyetheramide-Polyphenylene Ether Blends") PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 4,801,645 issued on Jan. 31, 1989 ("Thermoplastic Resin Composition") PA1 (i) carrying out the aforementioned process; PA1 (ii) separately providing from independent sources at least the major aroma components found by the analysis of each of the steps of the above processes; and PA1 (iii) separately admixing each of the groups of components to form separate perfume compositions. PA1 (c) a living flower (such as a rose or a carnation) located within an enclosed 3-dimensional space (e.g., a bifurcated transparent hemisphere fabricated from glass or a clear acrylic polymer) proximate and juxtaposed to said living fruit outer surface portion (broken or unbroken) said living flower being connected to a living flower stem, which, in turn, is connected to a living flower plant or a living flower tree (e.g., a rose bush);
of a living fruit using simultaneously-operating aroma trapping devices connected to (a) the outer surface of the living fruit and (b) an internal portion of the living fruit.
Also described in Trenkle, et al, U.S. Pat. No. 5,269,169 is apparatus for carrying out such a process. The living fruit in Trenkle, et al, U.S. Pat. No. 5,269,169 may, for example, be a living pineapple or a living nectarine growing on a nectarine tree.
What is not disclosed in the prior art is the fact that when a portion of the surface of a living fruit and a living flower placed in an enclosed 3-space proximate and juxtaposed to the portion of the surface of the living fruit are exposed to a moving stream of air, the resulting aroma evolved simultaneously from both the portion of the surface of the living fruit and from the living flower is different in kind from the separate analyzed aromas of the separate living flower and the separate portion of the surface of the living fruit, and such difference gives rise to unexpected, unobvious and advantageous perfume compositions which have unobvious natural aroma qualities (that is, topnotes, middle notes and undertones).
U.S. Pat. No. 5,136,805 issued on Aug. 11, 1992 describes an air-tight flexible transparent container containing at least one living flower immersed in an aqueous suspension. Described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,136,805 is an article useful (i) for display purposes; and/or (ii) for analysis of the headspace in the container above the living flower when the container is fitted with a tube effecting communication of the internal 3-space (internal volume) of the container with outside analytical means and/or (iii) for aromatizing the environment surrounding the container when the container is fitted with a wick effecting communication of the internal 3-space (internal volume) of the container with the environment surrounding the container.
However, U.S. Pat. No. 5,136,805 does not teach or infer a technique for quantitatively and qualitatively substantially continuously analyzing the aroma emitted and rates of emission of the components thereof of a portion of the surface of a living fruit and of a living flower located in an enclosed 3-dimensional space proximate and juxtaposed with the portion of the surface of the living fruit, simultaneously, growing from plants or trees in a natural habitat where the plants or trees bearing such living flower and living fruit are outside of the enclosure containing the living flower.